Acquire.com Platform Help
Helps the user with Acquire.com marketplace questions — from deciding whether to list and which plan to use through preparing a data room, managing the NDA/LOI workflow, and closing via Escrow.com.
Step 1 — Gather context
If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge.
Ask the user:
-
What do you need help with?
- A) Listing my SaaS for sale — eligibility, pricing, listing copy
- B) Buyer plan selection — Basic / Premium / Platinum
- C) Understanding fees — monthly listing fees, closing commission
- D) Due diligence — data room, metrics, what buyers ask for
- E) Deal process — NDA, LOI, APA, escrow, timeline
- F) Comparing Acquire.com to Flippa, Empire Flippers, or FE International
- G) Something else -
If seller — what's your business?
- A) Pre-revenue / MVP
- B) <$5K MRR (~$60K ARR)
- C) $5K–$20K MRR ($60K–$240K ARR)
- D) $20K–$100K MRR ($240K–$1.2M ARR)
- E) $100K+ MRR -
Where are you in the process?
- A) Researching whether to sell
- B) Ready to list, haven't started
- C) Listed, haven't reached NDA
- D) Under NDA with buyer(s), no LOI
- E) Have LOI, in due diligence
- F) In APA negotiation / closing
If the user's prompt already provides enough context, skip directly to the relevant step. Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions.
Step 2 — Route or answer directly
If the request maps to another skill, route with an explicit command:
| User's problem | Route to |
|---|---|
| Choosing which marketplace to list on | /sales-side-project-valuation {user's question} |
| Valuing the business (revenue multiples, pricing strategy) | /sales-side-project-valuation {user's question} |
| Selling a content site or ecommerce store (not SaaS) | /sales-side-project-valuation {user's question} — it covers Flippa/Empire Flippers |
| Showcasing or finding a co-founder for a side project | /sales-sideprojectors {user's question} |
Otherwise, answer from platform knowledge below.
Step 3 — Acquire.com platform reference
Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — buyer tiers, seller fees, deal stages (listing → NDA → LOI → DD → APA → escrow), Customer Success team, M&A broker partnership, and timeline data.
Answer the user's question using only the relevant section — don't dump the whole reference.
Step 4 — Actionable guidance
Provide guidance based on the user's stage:
- Pre-listing: Verify TTM MRR eligibility against the current cutoffs, check data readiness (Stripe/Google Analytics/P&L), set an asking price grounded in Acquire.com's realized multiples.
- Listing: Pick the seller tier that matches the asking price (monthly fee scales with price band). Write for Acquire.com's audience — bootstrapped operators, not VCs.
- NDA/LOI stage: Expect a high NDA-to-LOI drop-off. Pre-qualify buyers by plan tier (Premium/Platinum implies serious intent). Don't share the data room before NDA.
- DD/APA: Use Acquire.com's free APA templates and Customer Success Manager. Budget 60-90 days from LOI to close; longer for asset-over-$250K or share deals.
If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.
Gotchas
Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and current pricing.
- Seller fees changed April 17, 2024. Pre-April 2024 listings were free; Acquire.com now charges a monthly listing fee ($25/$50/$100 by asking price tier) plus a closing commission (8%/7%/6% sliding based on asking price band). Anything written before April 2024 about "free to list" is outdated.
- Platform is SaaS-focused by curation, not contract. Non-SaaS listings (agencies, content sites, ecommerce) sometimes get in but are the exception. If it's not SaaS, Flippa or Empire Flippers is usually a better fit.
- Low LOI conversion is normal. NDA signatures are cheap; most NDAs do not lead to an LOI. Don't interpret NDA volume as acquisition momentum.
- Ghosting during due diligence is extremely common. Bootstrapped buyers underestimate the work. Keep marketing the listing until APA is signed.
- Asset purchase vs. share purchase is a tax issue for the seller, not a checkbox. Default APA is assets-only; if the buyer wants shares, get an accountant before the LOI.
- Escrow.com is integrated and free for both parties on any deal closed through Acquire.com. Using outside escrow is allowed but forfeits Customer Success support.
- Verified funds ≠ verified decision to buy. $2B+ in aggregate verified funds is pool size, not an indicator that your specific listing will get offers.
- Customer Success Managers are free but not unlimited attention. They scale with deal size; sub-$50K deals get less hand-holding.
- Self-improving: If you discover something not covered here, append it to
references/learnings.mdwith today's date.
Related skills
/sales-side-project-valuation— Side project valuation strategy — pricing, revenue multiples, deal structuring, and comparing Acquire.com against Flippa, Empire Flippers, FE International, SideProjectors, 1Kprojects, Microns, Little Exits/sales-flippa— Flippa platform help (open marketplace for SaaS + content + ecom + domains, tiered listing packages $29-$699, 3-10% success fees)/sales-trustmrr— TrustMRR platform help (verified-revenue marketplace with live payment-provider API verification, APA-only lump-sum deals, $29-$499 boost tiers)/sales-sideprojectors— SideProjectors platform help (free listing, no commission, co-founder matching, DR69 backlink)/sales-do— Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install:
npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do
Examples
Example 1: Decide whether to list on Acquire.com vs Flippa
User says: "I have a $8K MRR B2B SaaS. Should I list on Acquire.com or Flippa?"
Skill does:
1. Notes $8K MRR ($96K ARR) sits in the core Acquire.com zone (most buyers are $100K–$500K deal size)
2. Acquire.com pros: SaaS-specialized, verified buyers, free Escrow.com, free CSM, templates
3. Flippa pros: broader audience, auction mechanic for competitive bidding, faster initial discovery
4. Recommends Acquire.com for a B2B SaaS at that MRR; suggests cross-listing only if Acquire is cold after 60 days
5. Warns about current fee structure — $50/mo listing + 7% closing at the $100K–$500K band
Result: Recommendation with rationale and a 60-day decision point
Example 2: Prepare for due diligence
User says: "I signed an LOI yesterday. What does the buyer want for DD?"
Skill does:
1. Walks through the standard Acquire.com data room: P&L for 24 months, Stripe/payment processor export, Google Analytics read access, churn cohorts, top-10 customer concentration, code repo access plan, hosting/domain registrar list
2. Warns: DD often slips 2-4 weeks beyond LOI timeline
3. Notes what Acquire.com's Customer Success can help with (templates) vs. what it can't (tax structure, jurisdiction-specific contract terms)
4. Suggests preparing a one-page "why this business" summary for the buyer to get their team on board
Result: Data room checklist and timeline expectations
Example 3: Understand new seller fees
User says: "Someone told me Acquire.com is free for sellers. Is that right?"
Skill does:
1. Corrects — since April 17, 2024, Acquire.com charges sellers (it was free before)
2. Breaks down current fees: monthly listing fee ($25/$50/$100) plus closing commission (8%/7%/6%) sliding by asking price band
3. Compares against Flippa (tiered success fee 3-10% plus $29-$699 upfront listing fee) and Empire Flippers (tiered 2-15%)
4. Notes that Escrow.com and Customer Success are still included at no extra cost
Result: Correct fee understanding with a like-for-like comparison
Troubleshooting
Listing gets NDAs but no LOIs
Symptom: 10+ NDAs signed, zero written offers
Cause: NDA signatures are cheap — many buyers sign to browse financials, not to buy. Listings priced above realized multiples for similar MRR also filter out serious buyers.
Solution: Check your asking price against Acquire.com's public "Recent Deals" or comparable closed listings. If priced above 4x ARR for a <$50K MRR SaaS, expect low LOI conversion. Consider a price drop after 45-60 days or open the listing to offers below asking. The Customer Success team can provide a valuation sanity-check.
Buyer goes quiet mid due diligence
Symptom: LOI signed, data room shared, buyer hasn't replied in 10+ days
Cause: Bootstrapped buyers often underestimate DD workload or lose financing/nerve. Ghosting at this stage is one of the most-reported complaints on Acquire.com.
Solution: Send one direct message asking for a status update and a DD checklist. If no reply within 5 days, keep the listing marketed — LOIs are non-binding on Acquire.com. Ask Customer Success to escalate if the buyer is Premium/Platinum (higher commitment signal).
Can't decide between asset sale and share sale
Symptom: Buyer wants a share sale; you only know asset sales exist
Cause: Acquire.com's default APA is an asset purchase. Share purchase has different tax and liability implications for both parties.
Solution: Do NOT sign the LOI before talking to an accountant in your jurisdiction. Asset sales usually reset depreciation and avoid seller-held liabilities; share sales can be more tax-efficient for the seller but transfer all liabilities to the buyer. Acquire.com's Customer Success team cannot give tax advice — get a CPA or solicitor for this decision.
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